Blogs

Carson Palmer walked off the field Sunday, baseball cap on his head, his look muted. He was by himself, and if it wasn’t for a brief stop to sign a Cardinals helmet for a disabled fan in a wheelchair when he entered the tunnel, he would have been alone in his thoughts until the locker room.

The quarterback said the same things as always when he met with the media – the team needs to figure out what mistakes they made and then set out on correcting them – but he knows the opportunities are slipping away for this team this season. All the Cardinals do. As safety Tony Jefferson said – quietly – “It’s never over ’till it’s over,” and mathematically the Cards aren’t really that close to eliminated.

But the tea leaves make it harder to remain optimistic, especially after a loss against a team the Cardinals are directly battling for a wild card spot. The Seahawks were handling the Eagles Sunday, and that’s another blow in the NFC West race.

It’s not like the Vikings were great Sunday. Bruce Arians said once again, it was his team beating itself. That’s happened way too often this season.

— Arians was asked if the special teams were being coached well enough. Special teams coordinator Amos Jones was not named specifically. “Extremely, extremely well,” Arians said.

— Special teams did have some good plays. Justin Bethel blocking an extra point. Brittan Golden getting a 49-yard kickoff return. But the kickoff return was a killer, and the failure of John Brown to catch the final punt hurt a lot too – although there was no guarantee the Cards would have moved it either.

— That was the first time a team had an interception return of at least 100 yards and a kickoff return of at least 100 yards since the Cowboys did it in 1962.

— According to Pro Football Focus, the Vikings targeted receiver Stefon Diggs eight times when Patrick Peterson was covering him. The result? Five receptions for 35 yards.

— The offensive line actually did a nice job blocking for the run all day – David Johnson was fantastic in both the run and pass game – but whatever it may have been able to do in the pass and play-action game was undone by the final quarter when Palmer was swamped repeatedly. Taylor Boggs was in at right guard at the end and not Earl Watford; there was no Watford injury reported.

— Palmer said he thought there was an obvious hold on John Brown on the 100-yard interception. Brown also said he was held although he was more muted in his statement.

— There was confusion – and anger – over the two 15-yard penalties called on Patrick Peterson (hitting QB-turned-wide receiver Sam Bradford) and Tony Jefferson (hitting what looked like a live Diggs on the sideline apparently too hard) and I personally am not sure why they were flagged. But it only lead to a field goal, and the Cards unfortunately couldn’t even generate enough to get into field goal range anyway. (UPDATE: This ESPN story contains a good analysis of the Peterson hit and the rule book.)

— Arians said the receivers didn’t run great routes. Michael Floyd can’t slow up on a deep ball, even if he isn’t sure if the ball will come his way. I’ll have to re-watch the end too, but when Palmer couldn’t find anyone open late, the wideouts seemed to have a tough time moving around to help him.

— It’s becoming weekly now – Chandler Jones with an important play. His strip-sack in the fourth quarter made it a game.

— Finally, it wasn’t a happy homecoming for Larry Fitzgerald. He started hot, with four catches for 53 yards in the first half, including a dazzling one-handed catch to get a first down inside the Minnesota 10 on the Cardinals’ first scoring drive. But he only had two catches for 10 yards after halftime. And the Cards suffered a painful loss.

“We had a bunch of yards and time of possession but at the end of the day it comes down to wins,” Fitzgerald said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s pretty or ugly. You are trying to come out with a win any way you can.”

oh, and about ” …— The offensive line actually did a nice job blocking for the run all day …”, maybe, but ask carson how he feels after the vikings beat him down at nearly passing every move. bad protection.

WOW , 2 100YD TD’s against us in the same game …….after 42 seasons as a Cardinals Fan Ive seen alot. Palmer just doesnt have it any more . Wish they would give Drew a shot. Coach isnt the same?
Wish he would understand , week after week, that the game starts with that coin flip winning decision .
When you defer to the second half you are going to get the ball to start the 2nd half no matter what. How many NFL games start with the team that gets the ball going 3 and out or punting soom after, or a TURNOVER ?? Alot …..Your offense is on the field quickly !!!

We start EVERY game with the ball …If we win the toss we start with the ball , if we lose the other teams Defer !!!!!!!!!
Everyone playing us knows they will get their defense going first.

So let’s clear the air.. first off great game to David Johnson-one of the few who continues to produce regardless of adversity. Fitz made an impact in the first half… why he wasn’t targeted once in the 2nd half Kiem will ask B.A. I don’t know about the Red Sea, but I’m tired of seeing Palmer making excuses and pointing the finger when he makes errant interceptions smh..once again special team defense shows how special they are-couldn’t make a high school team let alone be worthy of riding the short bus. B.A said when he got hired he will call the plays until he has someone who can call them better. What does that tell you Kiem?? He needs to be on a hot seat with a revamp of the coaching staff. It is time the team has been patience in light of recent success but football is won with pride and he needs to hire an offensive specialist who can really squeeze the last drop of the orange. Lastly, the referee play has tarnished the game. The Vikings last 3rd quarter drive proved that the NFL doesn’t care about he quality of the game. There is so much focus making sure games are called a certain way it seems like penalties are thrown to make sure NFL’s picks keep momentum. Oops I forgot we can’t criticize zebras. Bounce back team and play to your capabilities!! Way to hang in there defense #savage!! GO CARDS!!

How is it that Amos Jones still has a job? Special teams has been TERRIBLE the past couple years, and ST has cost the Cards at least 3 games this year, Is it too much to ask for a punter to kick more than 40yds or to have a hangtime where a huge runback isn’t involved? Pathetic to say Amos Jones is doing an “extremely” good/well job of coaching. The eye test says otherwise.

It is with great sadness that i will no longer be able to fight those who would put a fork in the Cards b4 Thanksgiving. Over the season, odd plays, bad luck, bad calls, a few bad plays, special teams did them in. I wonder if the cumulative injuries affected preparation and effectiveness on special teams. Maybe we can get some analysis. Haven’t quit on Cards but “Dire Straits” comes to mind.

Might be the most underachieving Cards team I’ve seen compared to talent. Run the table, back in it. Don’t doubt they can, but wont argue they will. Feel for the players, dreams unrealized, legitimate dreams.

The Cardinals almost certainly will not be in the playoffs this season or be a double digit win team, other than David Johnson, Fitzgerald, Jones and Peterson this is not a good football team right now. I love this team but finishing .500 could be a real uphill battle for this group right now. Our offense line was terrible today against the Vikings 4-man rush and our receivers could not get open making Palmer’s day a living hell. I thought coming into this season that our O-line was actually the strength of our offense but this group can’t protect Palmer and he is getting the s%#t beat out of him every game now, hard to watch. We might have to blow up this unit in the off season and start all over again.

OK…..getting tired of hearing about our WR’s are running the wrong routes and that is why Palmer is throwing INT’s. I’ve seen Palmer make enough REALLY bad throws that were totally ON HIM to question the validity of this. Does it probably happen on some plays? Yes, I’m sure it does. Does it explain why our QB is pretty much throwing as many INT’s as he is TD’s at this point? NO. It does not.

BUT, if our WR’s ARE not running great routes, then why the hell is that happening???? What, this game wasn’t important enough?? C’mon, man, that is just ridiculous.

Also getting REALLY tired of Palmer’s now robotic post-game statements about how they need to figure out what mistakes they made and then try to correct them. Yeah….OK. Um….any idea WHEN we will actually be getting around to this? Call me old fashioned but isn’t that what you are supposed to be doing in training camp and pre-season and practice during the week? Hearing this from the QB at this point tells me that he has no answers. Seems to me a veteran QB should be able to give us a little more than that. That just sounds like someone who really doesn’t understand what mistakes he is making and definitely hasn’t had a clue how to stop making them. And as Exhibit A, I give you our record.

Hey, Carson – do ya like where we’re at now, big guy?

HE put himself out there when he made that ridiculous comment. And he has played VERY poorly since he did. So, to him, I say – way to back it up, dude.

2016 has been a season of a team that seems flat on-going, the same problems, and no answers. The injuries we’ve had don’t explain it. And the fact that we have one of the most dynamic RB’s in the NFL, having maybe the best season a Cards RB has ever had, makes it all the more frustrating. I mean…..shouldn’t that have HELPED us be a better team???? For me, that puts even more of a spot-light on just how bad Palmer has been this year.

The Arizona Cardinals. The gift that keeps on giving. Need someone to help you break that four game losing streak? Do you have an offence that is really struggling? Want to get a couple of 100 yard touchdowns? No problem, this is the team you want to play.

Are you the second worst team in the league? Does your quarterback excel at taking a knee during the national anthem but nothing else? Do you have the worst rushing defence anywhere? Then the Cardinals will be like a magical tonic for you. We will give you the gift of new life.

Missing the best quarterback in history? Just play the backup and the Cardinals will make him look like the new Tom Brady. Then we will make the game close but be sure to give it away right at the end so you don’t have to fly all the way back to the East coast with a heavy loss weighing on you.

Want to get totally outplayed the entire game then go into overtime and still find a way not to lose? We are the opponent of your dreams.

We exist to make you feel good about yourself and to delight your fans in the process. You will have highlight reels that you never dreamed of. Hopefully you will acknowledge our generosity, especially those of you who make the playoffs. To all our friends and colleagues, we want to wish you very Merry Christmas.

Old Santa Carson and the merry elves.
p.s. to the Redskins, Dolphins, Rams, Falcons, Seahawks and Saints. You have not opened your gifts yet but when you do, we think you they will make your day and possibly your season.

Not saying it cost us the game but again we lose 10 yards on each change of possession Butler 37 yd ave vs. Grant 47 yd ave.. Draft a punter please !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We need a shake up to get us back on track / like a new special teams coordinator.
Not saying this cost us the game either however the inconsistency in the refereeing leaves lots to be desired. Thought we might need the defibrillator for Arians today with some of those questionable calls. Thats what you get with part time refs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So now we will see how the 2 rookie lineman can play. They are not mathematically eliminated, but it is just a matter of time. We just didn’t have our crap together this year. Was it camp creampuff? Was it just reading the press clippings before the season? We will probably never know for sure. I think there is either something physically wrong with Carson or father time has finally caught up to him.
I hope the heir apparent is found soon because it is going to be ugly with run game getting stopped at the line of scrimmage because there is no real threat of a credible passer back there.

At this point, especially with how up and down the NFC has been save for Seattle and Dallas, I’m hoping we can sneak into the tournament as a wildcard team.

How likely is 10-5-1?

Does 9-6-1 get us in?

All I know it’s we have an uphill battle. An even though it’s a tall order — when u look at how we’ve been playing and how close some of these losses have been — it’s not out of the question that we can make a record as mentioned above come to fruition.

The Cardinals certainly deserve there share of the blame for today’s loss, but the officiating was again horrific. The officials are a joke and the NFL is becoming a joke when a QB lines up as an eligible receiver and can’t get pushed by a DB without drawing a personal foul — seriously? Then the call on Jefferson for the hit on Diggs (didn’t lead with his head) and finally Palmer getting called for intentional grounding when a Vikings defender was hanging from his shoulder!!! Oh and did I mention the first non-fumble by Bradford which was clearly a fumble? And this after the Cards got completely hosed on the opening TD vs the Panthers a few weeks ago!!! I can’t take much more of this awful officiating! Why do I know the rules better than they do?

I like Carson Palmer but he has to go! I know the O-line absolutely stunk in the 4th quarter when Palmer got pounded, but he cannot continue to be careless with the ball as the pick six was the turning point and the 10 point swing (minimum), on what should have been a throw away is another painful but obvious example that he does not have the head or the understanding about what he MUST do as a 36 year old QB whose best days are definitely behind him. If he can’t accept that in the twilight of his career and needs to be an effective manage game manager while Fitz is still around the he has to go!

The special team’s coach is not coaching extremely well, please, let’s be honest. It’s fake loyalty and not helping to create a more clear path in helping to correct the correctable… It’s an immature way of putting your head in the sand. This is about what is best for team, not one player, nor one coach, team. If something is not working, you fix it. The special teams, obviously, is a problem that needs fixing, so who is in charge of this problem, we know… So, come on coach Arians put aside your ego and use an example of someone who could teach you a thing or two, his name is Bill Belichick, and he wouldn’t stand for this. This special team’s problem has become chronic, it’s not personal, its about results, and, ultimately, about what’s best for the team….

Interior of the line played horrible. Both tackles were also well below average. I am not certain if Shipley would make the practice squad for 31-other NFL teams.

Boggs and Wetzel come off the waiver wire from other team, and are playing better than players drafted and in the Card system for many weeks. This tells me, other team develop their O-line much better than what the Cards do.

Special teams continues to give the Cards woes. Players jogging down the field, not in their lane … list goes on and on.

The Cards look lifeless at the onset of each game, and at the beginning of each 3rd qtr. Whoever is giving their prep talk needs to change their message.

It feels as if the team is dysfunctional. Something is wrong that obviously will not come out to the general public … whatever it is, I hope this off-season they fix it. ( I think this season is a lost cause.)

The sad thing, is that this team has talent, but it doesn’t have the cohesion a team needs to be competitive.
One last thing, based on the beating Carson Palmer received — consideration should be made to play Stanton the rest of the season. The O-line is a lost cause and this season is a lost cause — keep Palmer healthy for next year.

Nelson and John Brown played horrible. Not certain if Nelson has an NFL player body and can reasonably compete.

Okay, so how many pics has Carson Palmer thrown while trying to get the ball to John Brown??????? Anybody??? And I’ve been calling for the Special Teams Coaches head since week 3, is this finally the week? Where is our #1 draft pick? Our O-line doesn’t look too good and John Brown is overrated. Also noticed SMOKE wasn’t fast enough to catch the guy from running 100 yards…Smoke and Mirrors is his new name. He does not strike the fear in any DB,

“Winning in November is Sweet. This team is peaking at the right time. …”

Shannon, in what ways are the Cards peaking?

Cards’ fans, look at the bright side. Keim, Arians, the coaches and players have done us a favor as we can now look forward to the draft, in which Keim has excelled. LOL
He’ll have a higher draft choice with which he can choose another Pro Bowl offensive or defensive lineman (see Cooper, Humphries and Nkemdiche)
And, maybe Arians will talk Keim into taking another flyer on a “project” QB like Logan Thomas in the 4th round.
Don’t forget that our 7-8-1 (if the Cards are VERY lucky) record will result in an easier schedule. BTW, I saw that coming a few weeks ago and took heat for it.
This season feels a lot like the last couple of Graves/Whisenhut seasons.
Can you believe that Arians praised Amos today?
I can’t wait for Keim’s excuses tomorrow.

When it comes down to it, it’s like the old say…”—- rolls downhill”, and at this point, I don’t want to hear any more lame gibberish from Steve Keim. I want to hear from Michael Bidwill, the boss man, and guy who’s been making promises to the fans since firing Coaches Whisenhunt/Horton, the guy who ultimately signs the checks and REALLY makes the big decisions. The problems we are having today have been evident since day one of the season and and this season has shaped up sadly reminiscent to the year following our last Championship with Kurt. We have been plagued with injuries to players who have not been replaced, and the team has been left adrift by the organization. Our players are being characterized in the national media as “mentally weak! And, as is also the norm, the players and coaches have had to bear the brunt of the disappointment, frustration and anger from the fans. Can you imagine what it must be like this morning being Carson Palmer’s kid and having to face kids at school?
As a fan of 20+ years I am beginning to question my own attachment to a team that has produced more disappointment and heart break than seasons to celebrate. We have ALWAYS had issues with the O-line and by now, should know that any good offense is going to start with the Offensive line’s ability to protect the QB and open up lanes for the running game. How many QBs have we had to go through watch getting beat to a pulp and take the heat for a losing season, without the GM fixing the root of the problem? Things were looking up when we signed some veteran pro-bowlers, but when they went down with injuries, we went to the PS to fill the bill? Horton gave us a good defense but since the loss of Bowles we have also lost veteran leadership and consequently our defense is the highest paid/overrated/underachieving in the league. And, Special Teams needs have been ignored and treated like the red headed stepchild we wish would go away.
I remember when BA/Keim were hired, Michael Bidwill stated he wanted to get “football guys” to take us to the next level and win us a Superbowl…that we were going to be “Wow’d”. Well, I thought we’ve had some good “football guys” (they at least got us to a SB), and when a team has this much talent, has a coaching staff of esteemed football greats in the braintrust,and still remains “stuck’, then the problem must be a little higher up the food chain in management. I want accountability from the Owner. This season you promised us “All” and have given us “Nothing” and I’m still waiting to be “Wow’d”!

Quoting myself from the Friday Before blog – This team needs to wake the hell up.

Quoting Kevin Minter after the game – When are we going to wake up?

Well, if players are asking the same questions in the locker room after the game that I was asking before the game…..that is a problem. It also shows that – as much as people want to label me as negative – I seem to have a pretty good feel for how this is going. And it ain’t going too good.

I am greatly distressed by a player coming out and questioning why the team is not performing as it should. But frankly, I am also GLAD to hear somebody speaking up and coming right out with it. It is certainly preferable to listening to our robot QB say, yet again, that we need to figure out what mistakes we are making so we can correct them.

This team has had a flat and un-inspired feeling to it since the pre-season and many of us were expressing concerns even then. The fact that after 10 games, it has stayed that way speaks to something being wrong at the core and NO ONE having the answers.

But I’ll say this – as cool as it seemed at the time, that whole All Or Nothing thing is just making us look ridiculous this year. I wish it never happened.

Looking forward, I really hope we can hit on a Russell Wilson or Dak Prescott in the draft. Because we do not have the QB we need to get where we want to be. And I am putting it out there that anyone who believed we needed to draft a QB this past year because we needed to build for the future was absolutely right. I didn’t see that as necessary, and I was absolutely wrong.

We need to break out of the cycle of trying to get lucky with a veteran with tread left on the tires. We got real lucky with Warner and we almost got it done. But Warner was capable of reaching the level of SB greatness. How often are we going to find THAT???? In reality, almost never. Looked like we might just get there again with Palmer but the fact is that 2015 appears to be an outlier, Palmer’s absolute ceiling. And gauging by what we are seeing now….we’re not gonna see that again.

I mean, if we could get Drew Brees RIGHT NOW, that might be one thing. But we’re not. When I think about other vet QB’s who might just be available as we’re winding down with Palmer – guys like Cutler or Romo or Sanchez or Bradford or whoever – it just makes me cringe. Enough of that. That is not the way. Not an easy thing to do, but we gotta find our Russell Wilson in the draft.

Or, find a way to make him a Cardinal while still in his prime. You could sell me on that!

firing amos jones? sorry, i disagree. i am in now way happy with the special teams play, but firing the coordinator is a simple short time solution, and i don`t think it will work.

imo it would be much better, to add a coach to the existing team. for example if you look at the two best special teams, the ravens and the patriots, what if our managment would add one of their assets to our team for a year? i doubt they could get randy brown to move to arizona, even for a year, but whats with scott o`brien? he`s working as a scout, maybe he could be brought in for a season as a consultant?

if i want someone fired, i would start with the coach, or manager, or owner, who`s responsible for the medical team.
look how carson palmers injury played out, and look how the honey badger goes from one injury to the next.
and john browns sickle cells anemia? are they serious, thats a gen defect, and should be detected in the first medical examination and treated accordingly immediately, and not after two seasons. the same for petersons diabetes. at least two seasons lost for two core pleyers.

Scott…
You got any ideas on who exactly we should get who is going to be another Russell Wilson or Dak Prescott? Do you really think Drew Brees could hold up behind our O-line? Seriously, I don’t see any magic cure until we can build an offensive line that can withstand an automic blast (or some of these really physical defenses).
And, as frustrating and painful as that loss was, in retrospect we really aren’t doing any worse than the Packers who got a 20 burger put on them by the Redskins and are also at .400 or the Panthers, also at .400.
If we could ,somehow, pull it together enough to not drop our final home games and at least beat the Rams, I wouldn’t feel so defeated. We’ve beat Seattle in their house with less and if we could manage that, we might not win the Division or make the playoffs but we could escape with a shred of dignity.
It ain’t over till it’s over…

No, I don’t know who our next QB is going to be. But that’s not my job. That’s JTDG’s job! Doesn’t matter if I know or not. Our personnel people have to make the best evaluations they can….then hope they hit the bulls-eye.

I hear what you are saying about other NFC powers also struggling this year, but….that is little consolation. Come playoff time, I ain’t gonna feel any better knowing that Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton are home watching, just like me.

Was thinking about that just today, how Palmer and Newton were in EVERY discussion last season related to who was the MVP. And now look where we are.

Knowing how the NE Patriots covet draft picks and given the belief that Tom Brady wants to and can play into his early 40’s, what are your thoughts on offering our 2017 first round draft pick to the New England Patriots for Jimmy Garapalo?

The refs have been so awful this year. Not sure I care to watch any more football. I gave up watching basketball because I yell “Foul” at the tv for a couple hours. Now, I find myself yelling “Holding” “Illegal Contact” blah blah blah and when there is a call, it’s wrong half the time. I want the announcers to point it out, but they are having to point out sooooo many errant calls, it’s just a beating to watch. Sure feels like some games are fixed this year. False start on the center? No comments from the announcers, no replay, What’s up??

CardinalChris…
I hear ya and, believe it or not, I have moments when I even wonder if the NFL (being as commercial as it is, etc) is not on the same level as profession wrestling, and ,all of this is rigged; this is the entertainment industry after all! I mean, when you consider the massive amounts of cash taken in each week in marketing individual teams, players, etc., the betting, all that goes into winding the fans up to the point of hysteria, the drama and theatrics…yep, sounds like the WWF more and more. Each year there are the sweetheart teams that the plot initially centers around, you have your villains and your white hats,(even the scantily clad women on the fringes) LOL…you getting my drift? We have players leap frogging and flipping over others, we have free-for-alls on the field, we have repeated “officiating mistakes” (could anybody keep a job in the real world with that level of competence?)…all that’s missing is the signature, hit with a folding chair! And then you have the fans, colorful bunch, crazed and entertaining in their own right, beside the main attraction!
Sorry, time to take my tinfoil hat off and get a grip! This year has been tough on everyone,nothing has been as it seems, and, I have to find a way to deal with it that doesn’t put me in the hospital as well!
Scott…You do know I’m kidding I hope. I think I’m getting a little loopy. This has been a stressful year on a lot of fronts. I guess my point is that there aren’t a lot of viable options out there that will cure the QB issues and we are but one of many teams in the market. I just read where Romo’s choices are now between the Broncos and the Jags (the Cards initially were thought to be the front runner)
and that is for a retread who probably wouldn’t last five minutes behind our 0-line anyway!

ScottH… As to other perennially successful teams doing poorly, wouldn’t it be the ideal time to take advantage of huge opportunities to kick some butt?

I continue to harp – – regardless how Palmer does, we need a QB for the future…kinda starting NOW. And tossing prayers to JBrown and JNelson when doubled & tripled is such idiocy. What was that 40 time again for Brown? ((can’t catch a Corner?))

If this season continues as it has, it is reasonable to predict that several senior players will exit in January…be well